4.0 out of 5 stars

3.9 out of 5 stars

Microwave Ovens Buing Guide

Generally, a wattage of 750-1000 watts is great for a microwave. This is an adequate amount of power that isn't too much or too little. Most foods do well in this power range.

2. Convection Functionality

Convection microwaves allow you to brown and crisp items as well as microwave them traditionally. They're great for grilling burgers and crisping birds, and this feature really adds a lot to the abilities of the microwave. Microwaves of the past don't have this functionality, but modern microwaves do. With a convection microwave, the cooking tasks take less time, giving you more time to enjoy the food instead of cooking all day.

3. Turntable

A great microwave wouldn't be complete without an included turntable. Turntables allow the food to cook evenly and always provide great cooking results. Turntable sizes are generally between 10-15 inches in diameter.

4. Size

An internal cooking compartment size of .5 to 1.6 feet is big enough for most peoples needs. You'll also find that this size range provides the best cooking results. Microwaves that are above this size are inefficient at cooking food. You'll find that a lot of the really huge microwaves just aren't built very well.

5. Add 30 Seconds Key

People really seem to love this feature in a microwave. Instead of having to press a bunch of buttons for just a few more seconds of power, one press of the 30 second key is all it takes. This is a great innovation that modern microwaves are now including. Look for it!

6. LCD Display

Modern microwaves built in the last few years all have digital LCD displays to show you the cooking status, time left, and some of them even scroll text alerts across the screen. These LCD screens are very useful to have and make the whole cooking process a lot simpler.

7. Multiple Power Levels

More than one power level is essential in a microwave. Different types of foods require that varying degrees of power be used. Around 10 power settings is great, but any more than that is really useless. With the additional power settings, you may find that you're able to cook more foods in the microwave than you ever thought possible.

8. Power Defrost

There are going to be times when you simply need to defrost a food item from the freezer before cooking it. Most modern microwaves come with a defrost power level that will leave you with a defrosted item, but it won't cook it. You'll be surprised by how much you wind up using this feature.

9. Stainless Steel Construction

There are many modern microwaves that are built using stainless steel housing. They're easy to keep clean and they don't stain. They also last a very long time. While it isn't a necessity, it is nice to have.

10. Child Safety Lock

This a great feature to have in a home with kids. Kids sometimes get into playing with things, and the microwave oven is no exception. It's a great feature that prevents it from being accidentally turned on if your kids are messing around and start hitting the buttons.